Pension changes considered in legislature

As OCSEA indicated in a recent story in the Public Employee Quarterly, it looks like there is finally some movement on changes to the Ohio Public Employees Retirement System. Ohio Senators introduced four bills this week and heard testimony from OPERS Executive Director Karen Carraher and staff from the other public employee pension systems.

OPERS indicated the fund is losing about $1 million a day. The OPERS Board of Trustees made the recommendation three years ago to increase service eligibility by two years to ensure the fund stays solvent. Also at risk without reforms is the OPERS health care benefit, which would run out as early as 2014.

Word is still out as to whether changes will ultimately pass the legislature. While the Senate may pass something before legislators take a summer recess, Ohio House Speaker William Batchelder has indicated that the House would wait to weigh in for an actuarial study expected to be finished in July.

To learn more about the OPERS recommendations and the future of retiree health care, OCSEA members are encouraged to attend one of the OPERS-sponsored meetings being held this spring and early summer: OPERS pension regional meetings:

May 22 -- Columbus • 5:30 p.m. • OCSEA, 390 Worthington Rd., Ste A, Westerville [MAP IT]
June 6 -- Dayton • 5:30 p.m. • Council 8, 15 Gates St., Dayton [MAP IT]
June 12 -- Toledo • 5:30 p.m. • Council 8, 420 South Reynolds Rd., Toledo [MAP IT]
June 26 -- Cincinnati • Council 8, 1213 Tennessee Ave., Cincinnati [MAP IT]

Read more from OPERS on recommended plan changes here.

Workers' Memorial Day: Collective bargaining keeps us safe

OCSEA Pres. Christopher Mabe

As we approach Workers' Memorial Day this weekend, I'm reminded of how dangerous public sector work can be. Correction Officers, Highway Workers, Therapeutic Program Workers and other front line employees are constantly being injured on the job, at times, with devastating results.

Who can forget Easter Sunday 19 years ago--the Lucasville Riot? OCSEA will never forget the prison riot that resulted in the death of Correction Officer Bobbie Vallandingham. Nor will we forget the everyday heroes who have lost their lives on the job in recent years, specifically Shawn Blubaugh from District 5 ODOT in 2010 and William Hesson, a Juvenile Correction Officer from the Cuyahoga Hills Juvenile Correctional Facility in 2009.

Workers' Memorial Day is particularly important to remember given the recent attacks against public sector workers and our right to collectively bargain. Senate Bill 5 threatened to take away workers' rights to bargain basic health and safety issues including minimum staffing, number of hours worked and health care plan design. In the same way, a Right to Work initiative in Ohio also threatens to strip workers of their voice on the job--a move that would have devastating consequences for workers' safety.

It is well-documented that Right to Work states have poorer worker safety records. Without the input of labor and front line workers, employees fair much worse when it comes to occupational safety.

For us, the health and safety of our members goes hand in hand with collective bargaining. Labor/management health and safety committees that are required under the OCSEA contract help ensure we have input about our personal protective equipment, our safety and how work gets done without injury or incident.

This Workers' Memorial Day we pay tribute to those who have lost their lives or been injured on the job by vowing to "fight like hell for the living." Let's stand up for the safety of workers who put their lives on the line each day by supporting strong collective bargaining rights.

In Solidarity,



Christopher Mabe

Dana's Story

CO Dana Kissel speaks at today's Close the Loopholes rally

My name is Dana Kissel I am a Correction Officer at the Mansfield Correctional Institution. I've been an officer for 11-and-a-half years. I've lived in Mansfield all my life. Working for the Department of Corrections runs in my family. My mother is a Correction Officer. My cousin is a Correction officer and my aunt is a Correction Officer. Combined, my family has over 50 years of Corrections experience.

On March 21st I went to my job on second shift, just like any other day. I was at the desk where me and one other CO watch over 120 inmates. I'm a regular in my pod and have been there for three years now. On that day, I was letting an inmate out of his cell who was on cell restrictions because he exposed himself multiple times, one of those times to me. The inmate assaulted me leaving me with a concussion, a fractured nose and multiple contusions. Thankfully, I had a good partner. He saved my life.

However, this inmate should NEVER have been put into general population. But because Ohio's prisons continue to be overcrowded and understaffed, this inmate, who had been confined to the more restrictive "local control" area numerous times for bad behavior, was back in general population. He was placed in general population because there were no beds in the more restrictive area. WHY IS THIS? IT'S SIMPLE, because of budget cuts and corporate tax loopholes.

Because of budget cuts and these tax loopholes, we have the same number of Correction Officers today than we did before the Lucasville riot. Because of these loopholes, we have 1500 fewer Correction Officers than we did 10 years ago. Because of these loopholes, I have a concussion, a fractured nose, and multiple contusions. This is not acceptable.

We're asking that these loopholes be closed and that everyone pay their fair share. We need to do it for the safety and security of our staff, the inmates, our communities, and our families. Thank you.